Acorn Squash Ice Cream

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 95 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

Acorn squash ice cream is a delightful way to use the popular seasonal vegetable in a sweet dessert during the fall months and the holiday season.

Ingredients

1 acorn squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water, or as needed
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place squash, pointed-side up, on a baking sheet.
2 Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Cool squash until easily handled. Cut squash in half, remove seeds and stringy parts of meat, and peel skin from the squash and discard.
3 Mash the squash meat in a bowl and measure 1 cup meat.
4 Combine 1 cup squash meat and butter in a saucepan; add enough water to make squash stir-able. Cook squash mixture over low heat until squash softens, adding more water if needed to thin the squash, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool squash mixture.
5 Beat egg yolks and brown sugar together in a bowl using a whisk until thickened.
6 Heat cream and milk together in a saucepan over low heat until mixture begins to simmer. Gradually pour cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and beat until smooth to temper the eggs. Pour the cream-egg mixture into the saucepan; simmer over low heat until mixture is thickened and easily coats the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl and cool to room temperature.
7 Beat squash mixture into cream mixture until smooth; stir in vanilla extract, ginger, salt, and allspice. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.
8 Stir cream mixture and transfer to an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions for making ice cream.